Beacon is an intelligence tool that helps security teams and public safety professionals alike to find key information from The Dark Web safely through a regular web browser. Previously, the only way to access The Dark Web was through a TOR browser.

The Dark Web is non-indexed and non-secure, yet searching it is crucial for security and public safety organisations as it’s a veritable hotbed for nefarious activity. Beacon provides end users with a single point of entry into The Dark Web and presents critical information in a structured and consistent way.

Organisation of Dark Web data makes analysis of it more efficient and threat intelligence actionable for law enforcement, security and risk managers.

“Beacon helps teams to quickly identify information that can prepare them for the worse case scenario,” said Michael Raypold, CTO at Echosec. “Through Beacon, end users can identify threats quickly and enable efficient issues management.”

A basic Beacon search can provide intelligence on subjects like drug trafficking, the sale of firearms and hacker data. A UK search conducted on 12 April found 14,849 instances of hacker data using the keyword “UK + hacking,” while “UK + credit card” returned 16,600 and “UK + guns” 2,650 results respectively.

More advanced search functions in Beacon have produced thousands of results for information on the sale of identities, e-mail addresses and other personally identifiable information. One excerpt from a credit card search result on a Dark Web site reads: “Hello all clients ! – I’m a hacker, good seller, best tools, sell online 24h. – I want introduce to you my services and sell fresh cvv (visa/master,amex,dis,bin,dob,fullz..) all country, Dumps track 1&2, Account paypal, SMTP, RDP, VPS, Mailers, do WU transfer and Software Bug Transfer Western Union. – I sell cvv Fresh – Fast and Good price.”

Beacon is commercially available and simple and safe to interact with for users of all backgrounds. However, due to the sensitive nature of The Dark Web, Echosec meets with potential customers to review and approve their case before providing access. Echosec also takes steps to ensure that Beacon use is compliant with the current privacy laws and data provider terms.